Bandcamp Subscriptions: Little Steps Make Big Strides
If you’ve been following this blog, you might remember that I started offering subscriptions on Bandcamp sometime in 2017. I haven’t mentioned it at all since then, so here’s a little update on how that has been going for me.
In the beginning, I did everything I could to cast as wide a net as possible, from posting on every social media platform of mine to spamming people on WhatsApp. Even though I had steeled myself for a less-than-ideal response, I was still disappointed by the outcome. It seemed to reflect that my music had absolutely no impact on people’s lives.
I wondered if I had been too optimistic. Perhaps only great artistes like Amanda Palmer have the luxury to spew messages like the power of asking, while the rest of us lesser folk mistakenly buy into the lofty idea, believing that it would work for us too. When I moved to Germany, I expected everyone to cancel their subscriptions. I was honestly prepared to write this idea off as another one that didn’t work out for me.
Somewhere in Nepal, 2013. In the bottom right corner, you can just make out the bridge I crossed an hour ago.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case at all! Not only did my subscribers continue to support me, but they also showed me that I was accepted simply for who I am, warts and all. Despite the lack of any clear release date in sight, they have never insisted on regular updates and progress, which has been great for my stress levels.
A few weeks ago, I decided to run the numbers on a whim. To my surprise, I realised that my subscribers have contributed almost $500 so far! It might not seem like much but I’ll put it in perspective. $500 covers the mixing fees for about one and a half songs. Considering that I’m back to being a full-time student again, I can imagine how much more difficult it would’ve been to come up with that amount on my own.
I’m glad that I took the time to look back and see that the little steps actually amounted to something substantial. While the subscription model would probably never replace financial discipline in my case, it will definitely help me finish the Terrible Luck album a little sooner. Besides the monetary aspect, my subscribers and their unwavering support help me to continue to believe that music will always have value, regardless of popularity or follower counts, and I can never thank them enough for that <3
If you the reader would like to join our little community, you can click through here to do that. I hope to see you there! =)
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